Caldwell County Profile

In Caldwell County, economic opportunity is expanding with increasingly diversified businesses and industries. Long renowned for our manufacturing prowess, we are fast becoming a magnet for technology and information-based companies, business services and food processors and distributors.

Caldwell County capitalizes on the resources, talent and hospitality of North Carolina — one of America’s top business states. With a corporate income tax rate of 2.5 percent, North Carolina has the third-lowest business tax burden in the nation. Factor in our affordability, strategic location, generous incentives, nationally recognized job training and enviable lifestyle, and it’s easy to see why Caldwell County is rising to the top of more and more site selection lists.

CaldWELL POSITIONED

Population

Population	2000	2010	2026	2031
Caldwell County Profile	77,422	83,035	80,156	79,854

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Population by Age

Population	2026
0-4	3,857
5-9	4,220
10-14	4,314
15-19	4,228
20-24	4,187
25-29	4,609
30-34	5,037
35-39	4,749
40-44	4,409
45-49	4,870
50-54	5,411
55-59	5,923
60-64	5,943
65-69	5,617
70-74	4,818
75-79	3,695
80-84	2,424
85+	1,845
18+	65,193
Median Age	46

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Population by Race

Caldwell County Profile	2026
Total	80,156.00
White Alone	83.87%
Black Alone	5.03%
American Indian Alone	0.45%
Asian Alone	0.78%
Pacific Islander Alone	0.02%
Some Other Race	3.69%
Two or More Races	6.16%
Hispanic Origin	7.19%
Diversity Index	38.40

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Housing

Households

Population	2000	2010	2026	2031
Households	30,770	33,391	34,166	34,679
Housing Units	33,432	37,667	38,372	38,953
Owner Occupied Units			24,669	25,443
Renter Occupied Units			9,497	9,236
Vacant Units			4,206	4,274

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Home Value

Caldwell County Profile	2026	2031
Median Home Value	$238,285	$360,477
Average Home Value	$275,073	$399,505
<$50,000	1,297	995
$50,000 - $99,999	2,366	1,067
$100,000 - $149,999	3,151	1,208
$150,000 - $199,999	2,679	1,230
$200,000 - $249,999	3,711	2,456
$250,000 - $299,999	3,566	3,093
$300,000 - $399,999	3,227	4,419
$400,000 - $499,999	2,608	5,539
$500,000 - $749,999	1,284	3,356
$1,000,000 +	336	910

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Housing Year Built

Year Range	Houses Built
2010 or Later	1,649
2000-2009	4,249
1990-1999	6,707
1980-1989	5,801
1970-1979	5,710
1960-1969	4,875
1950-1959	4,013
1940-1949	1,938
1939 or Before	2,119

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Income

Caldwell County Profile	2026	2031
Median Household	$60,904	$67,043
Average Household	$77,093	$87,777
Per Capita	$32,960	$38,222

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Household Income

Caldwell County Profile	2026
<$15,000	4,175
$15,000 - $24,999	3,158
$25,000 - $34,999	2,959
$35,000 - $49,999	3,187
$50,000 - $74,999	7,618
$75,000 - $99,999	3,992
$100,000 - $149,999	5,051
$150,000 - $199,999	2,819
$200,000+	1,207

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Employees

Commute

Category	Commuters
Workers 16+	35,960
In-County Residents	21,245
Out-of-County Residents	14,298
Drive Alone	29,357
Carpooled	3,523
Public Transport	15
Work at Home	2,561
Motorcycle	23
Bicycle	0
Walked	213
Other	268
Less than 5 minutes	1,059
5-9 minutes	2,977
10-14 minutes	5,068
15-19 minutes	5,252
20-24 minutes	4,735
25-29 minutes	3,143
30-34 minutes	4,556
35-39 minutes	1,300
40-44 minutes	1,012
45-59 minutes	2,304
60-89 minutes	860
90+ minutes	1,133
Average Travel Time	26

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Employees by NAICS

Category	Number
Total Employees	25,091
Agr/Forestry/Fish/Hunt	39
Mining	3
Utilities	222
Construction	1,014
Manufacturing	3,059
Wholesale Trade	1,569

Retail Trade	3,144
Motor Veh/Parts Dealers	454
Furn & Home Furnish Str	298
Electronics & Appl Store	25
Bldg Matl/Garden Equip	309
Food & Beverage Stores	657
Health/Pers Care Stores	201
Gasoline Stations	119
Clothing/Accessory Store	105
Sports/Hobby/Book/Music	224
General Merchandise Str	752

Transportation/Warehouse	294
Information	464

Finance & Insurance	573
Cntrl Bank/Crdt Intrmdtn	288
Sec/Cmdty Cntrct/Oth Inv	90
Insur/Funds/Trusts/Other	195

Real Estate/Rent/Leasing	619
Prof/Scientific/Tech Srv	801
Legal Services	74
Mgmt of Comp/Enterprises	10
Admin/Support/Waste Mgmt	455
Educational Services	2,214
HealthCare/Social Assist	4,358
Arts/Entertainment/Rec	442

Accommodation/Food Srvcs	2,254
Accommodation	129
Food Srv/Drinking Places	2,125

Other Srv excl Pub Admin	1,519
Auto Repair/Maintenance	295
Public Administration Emp	2,022

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Educational Attainment (25+)

Caldwell County Profile	2026
<9th Grade	2,168
Some High School	5,540
GED	4,570
Graduated High School	16,653
Some College/No Degree	11,154
Associates Degree	7,327
Bachelor's Degree	7,800
Graduate Degree	4,138

Source: ESRI, 2026-08-31

Businesses

Businesses by NAICS

Category	Number
Total Businesses	2,441
Agr/Forestry/Fish/Hunt Bus	14
Mining Bus	1
Utilities Bus	5
Construction Bus	172
Manufacturing Bus	122
Wholesale Trade Bus	67

Retail Trade Bus	389
Motor Veh/Parts Dealers Bus	70
Furn & Home Furnish Str Bus	30
Electronics & Appl Store Bus	7
Bldg Matl/Garden Equip Bus	35
Food & Beverage Stores Bus	64
Health/Pers Care Stores Bus	32
Gasoline Stations Bus	19
Clothing/Accessory Store Bus	26
Sports/Hobby/Book/Music Bus	59
General Merchandise Str Bus	47

Transportation/Warehouse Bus	59
Information Bus	38

Finance & Insurance Bus	115
Cntrl Bank/Crdt Intrmdtn Bus	45
Sec/Cmdty Cntrct/Oth Inv Bus	27
Insur/Funds/Trusts/Other Bus	43

Real Estate/Rent/Leasing Bus	120
Prof/Scientific/Tech Srv Bus	133
Legal Services Bus	20
Mgmt of Comp/Enterprises Bus	3
Admin/Support/Waste Mgmt Bus	80
Educational Services Bus	55
HealthCare/Social Assist Bus	222
Arts/Entertainment/Rec Bus	55

Accommodation/Food Srvcs Bus	163
Accommodation Bus	18
Food Srv/Drinking Places Bus	145

Other Srv excl Pub Admin Bus	403
Auto Repair/Maintenance Bus	71
Public Administration Bus	113